Swear by it? Why bad language is soothing

Emma Byrne found that muttering “keep f***ing going” helped her through running marathons

Swearing is an innate reflex that can help to ease physical pain and lower stress levels, according to an expert in artificial intelligence.

Emma Byrne, author of Swearing is Good for You, acknowledged in an interview with The Times that there were linguistic boundaries that people, particularly those in powerful positions, were unwise to cross.

Never use swearing to “kick downwards”, Dr Byrne warned before an event at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Even relatively benign terms can cause huge offence. Take “pleb”, sneeringly deployed five years ago by Andrew Mitchell, Conservative chief whip at the time, against police officers in Downing Street. A bitter row ensued and within a month Mr Mitchell had been forced to quit the government.

Dr Byrne, who works for…

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